Renault Kangoo van maxi review

Renault’s Kangoo MPV is a popular utilitarian transport, but what’s it like as
an extended wheelbase van?

As a replacement for the popular Express van, the 1997 Renault Kangoo has been a moderate hit.

Converting it into a utilitarian multi-purpose passenger vehicle would have been a stroke of genius had Citroën not had the idea first with its Berlingo.

Nevertheless, the Kangoo has a charm of its own, especially as it sports sliding doors on both sides, which the Citroën at first lacked.

Part of the charm of these vans-as-cars is their no-frills, hose-out appeal, which mirrors that of the commercial version we’ve driven this week in LL21 trim, priced at £13,590 ex VAT, £15,968 with the tax.

The Kangoo has the sort of cute, frog-eye looks similar to the Citroën Nemo, which coincidentally is also available as a multispace passenger vehicle.

Inside, the dashboard is simple with a rev counter but no water temperature gauge. The two seats are comfy enough for an hour or so, but they lack support for very long journeys.

With Renault’s ubiquitous 1.5-litre turbodiesel punching out 104bhp and 177lb ft of torque, performance is brisk, although the well-stacked six-speed transmission means that 50mpg plus is more than attainable, even with a load.

Speaking of which, the extended load space can be lined (£80) and fitted with a rubber floor (£75), which helps minimise damage and with the load safety cage (£175) open on the passenger side and that seat fully folded (£50) there’s space enough for a full-length roof ladder inside.

Complaints are mainly concerned with the ergonomics for the CD radio and the TomTom, although the optional air conditioning (£615) is powerful and quiet.

The ride is good, although the load space booms along with road ripples, and the main tendency is to understeer straight on in corners which is the default setting for light commercials like this.

You might even think that this is better value than the equivalent Kangoo Dynamic multi-purpose vehicle which costs £15,480, but that’s assuming you need the extra 15 inches in length to carry ladders rather than the occasional muddy dog. On the whole I’d stick to the MPV version and put the ladder on the roof.